scholarly journals Information Technology Asymmetry and Gaps Between Higher Education Institutions and Industry

10.28945/4553 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 339-365
Author(s):  
Yasar Guneri Sahin ◽  
Ufuk Celikkan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
It Professionals ◽  
Industry Trends

Aim/Purpose: This paper investigates the gaps between industry and academia perceptions of information technology fields, such as computer science, software engineering, and computer engineering, and it identifies areas of asymmetry between curricula and industry expectations. The study mainly focuses on the skills required of IT professionals (graduated students) and on how higher education institutes equip students for industry. Background: Higher education institutes have several IT-related departments. However, it is not clear whether these departments have sufficient content to equip students with industry-related skills. Rapid advances mean that some curriculum topics are redundant before the end of a standard two- or four-year degree programs. Balancing the technical/non-technical skills and adjusting the curricula to better prepare the students for industry is a constant demand for higher education institutions. Several studies have demonstrated that a generic curriculum is inadequate to address current IT industry needs. Methodology: The study involved a comprehensive survey of IT professionals and companies using a Web-based questionnaire sent directly to individual companies, academics, and employers. 64 universities and 38 companies in 24 countries were represented by the 209 participants, of whom 99 were IT professionals, 72 academics, and 38 employers. Contribution: This paper is intended to guide academics in preparing dynamic curricula that can be easily adapted to current industry trends and technological developments, with content directly relevant to student’s careers. In addition, the results may identify the skills that students need to secure employment and the courses that will provide skills in line with current industry trends. Findings: The results indicate a lack of emphasis on personal and non-technical skills in undergraduate education compared to general computer science, software development, and coding courses. Employers’ and software experts’ responses emphasize that soft skills should not be ignored, and that, of these, analytical thinking and teamwork are the two most requested. Rather than a theoretical emphasis, courses should include hands-on projects. Rapid developments and innovations in information technologies demand that spiral and waterfall models are replaced with emerging software development models, such as Agile and Scrum development. Recommendations for Practitioners: A multidisciplinary approach should be taken to the teaching of soft skills, such as communication, ethics, leadership, and customer relations. Establishing multiple learning tracks in IT education would equip students with specialized knowledge and skills in IT. An effective communication channel should be established between students and industry. It is also important to reduce the distance between academics and students and to provide an interactive environment for technical discussions. Enterprise level computing and Framework use provide job market advantages. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers and department heads, particularly those involved in curriculum design and accreditation, could use the results of this exemplary study to identify key topics for attention. Impact on Society: Changes of various degrees are required in the current curricula in many higher education institutions to better meet student needs. Societies and technology are dynamic in nature, and information technology-related curricula in higher education institutions should be equally dynamic. Future Research: Since technology (especially information technology) transforms and advances itself so rapidly, this study should be replicated t to investigate how these changes affect the gap between revised curricula and current industry expectations.

scholarly journals FEATURES OF STUDENTS' SPEECH (BASED ON THE MATERIALS OF A SPEECH SELF-PORTRAIT)

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 508-513
Author(s):  
O.S. Salnikova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Spelling Error ◽  
Research Material ◽  
Speech Features ◽  
Written Speech

The issue of developing soft skills (in particular, communication skills) among students of higher education institutions is currently relevant. The article considers features of oral and written speech of students as speech personalities; the correlation of the concepts “Speech portrait” and “Speech self-portrait” is presented; the connection between the concepts of “Communication skills” and “Speech self-portrait” is presented. The purpose of the article is to describe the typical features of speech of students of information technology, identified by the students themselves (norm and deviations). Speech self-portraits of students were used as the research material. The results obtained allow us to identify blocks of speech features that students focus on: speech comfort; the opposition of a typo (misprint)/spelling error; lexical features of speech. Completing this task also allows students to develop the skills of observing their speech and analyzing their speech behavior.

scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT OF CONCENTRIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

2020 ◽  
pp. 105-115
Author(s):  
Iurii Teslia ◽  
Hryhoriy Zaspa
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Digital Space ◽  
Analytical System ◽  
Functional Problems

Modern world trends in education are aimed at the digital transformation of educational institutions. Traditional approaches to higher education institutions informatization through their automation no longer meet the requirements of the time. Therefore, new approaches are needed, based on the digitalization of educational processes aimed at creating digital universities. For this purpose, the current state of information systems in higher education institutions use and the issue of higher education institutions digital transformation were studied. The problem of automation tools separation was revealed, which does not allow to effectively implement digitalization projects, does not allow to create a single system of building digital universities. It is proposed to solve the digital transformation of higher education institutions problem based on the use of concentric information technology developed in this study, which integrates all information bases, methods and means of solving functional problems into a single digital space to maximize information needs of higher education institutions. This technology is based on the following developed in the study: 1) concentric model of information technology of digital transformation of higher education institutions, which allows to integrate methods and tools of information management to create a single higher education institutions digital space; 2 functionally independent method of information management of higher education institutions, which allows to create universal tools of informatization, which are independent of the composition and specifics of the construction of the created tools of solving functional problems; 3) interlayer information interaction methods, providing reflection in the processes of each of the layers of changes in the information environment of neighboring layers. The results of the study were used in the construction of information and analytical system of the university educational activities support, which was developed and implemented at Cherkasy State Technological University.

From High School to Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 36-51
Author(s):  
Francesco Maiorana
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
High School ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Learning Trajectory ◽  
Lifelong Education ◽  
Learning Trajectories ◽  
Loop Invariant ◽  
Key Concepts

The vision of introducing computing as a literacy taught from primary school to higher and lifelong education is producing a worldwide new curriculum design and adoption. A strong research effort has involved researchers and educators to find the best ways to prepare teachers and their students for computing with an emphasis on core computer science concepts. This paper, starting from a previously developed curriculum, aims to present and discuss learning trajectories for a first course on computing aiming to presenting key concepts first, such as functions and their use. This learning trajectory is compared with a second learning trajectory presenting loop and loop invariant first and a third one presenting variable first.

Information Technology Professional Career Development

2011 ◽  
pp. 142-157
Author(s):  
Seokha Koh ◽  
Sooun Lee ◽  
David C. Yen ◽  
Douglas Havelka
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Career Development ◽  
Field Study ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
It Professionals ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
Technology Changes ◽  
Information Technology Professional ◽  
Technology Professional

No industry seems to change as much or as quickly as the information technology (IT) marketplace. The skills necessary to be a successful professional in this industry change as the technology changes and as one advances through a career. The results of prior research are used to develop a field study of IT professionals’ skill sets throughout their careers. Our findings suggest that IT professionals need to have different technical skills as their careers progress, and that; in fact, they do have different technical skills at different stages in their careers.

Information Technology Leadership and Change in Higher Education

2020 ◽  
pp. 36-54
Author(s):  
Joseph Ezale Cobbinah
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Technology Leadership ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Higher Educational Institutions ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Higher Educational

Higher educational institutions are widening participation through the introduction of new programs, using different approaches to deliver learning so that many people can have access to education. With the growing number of students in our higher educational institutions, coupled with learners who are working and by virtue of their job commitments cannot do traditional face-to-face education, using information technology (IT) to support lessons in higher education institutions has become very laudable. The introduction and use of technology have brought changes in the way we teach and support students in our higher education institutions. This, therefore, calls for effective IT leaders who will be able to motivate, inspire, and meet the learning needs of the diverse students in our institutions while improving teaching and learning. The IT leaders should not only be individuals who can only lead the change crusade but should be able to manage the change process.

Creating epistemic access through a scaffold approach: Academic literacy skills development for South African first-year public administration students

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-174
Author(s):  
Gerda HG van Dijk ◽  
Brenda A Vivian ◽  
Lianne P Malan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
South African ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
Epistemic Access

For higher education institutions to produce graduates capable of contributing to society and the economy in a productive manner, educational emphasis is placed on the development of critical thinking. The above necessitates that higher education institutions are able to engage in responsive curriculum design and delivery for enhanced student success and access. Public Administration programmes focus on equipping students to work within the broader government sector, able and capable of delivering public functions responsive to the needs of society. Literature suggests that there are a number of factors which influence the success ratio of any undergraduate programme in the South African context, including, inter alia, increased enrolments, student–staff ratios and the overall decline of professional and intellectual life in the country. Further complicating matters are classes too big to be participatory and crammed syllabi preventing in-depth discussions. The notion of embedding academic literacy development in curriculum design through a scaffolded approach aims to influence the academic performance of students through engaged and active learning in order to attain a higher level of achievement as well as benefit from the process of scaffolding. The research comprises a mixed method approach using a case study of the first-year students enrolled for a Public Administration degree. Data collected included an analysis of 2015, 2016 and 2017 student cohorts in: determining their academic literacy level upon registration (set as a baseline before any academic literacy intervention); tracking their academic performance through their formative and summative assessments (through a scaffolded approach); and reflecting upon their learning through their completion of a semi-structured survey. The research intends to argue that the use of a scaffolded approach to learning enhances epistemic access, which sees students moving beyond propositional, or foundation knowledge to epistemic or reflexive knowledge.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document